The present invention relates to the preparation of processed, formed food products. More specifically, this invention relates to a method of processing and forming food products that possess a viscosity and particulate size suitable for consumption by individuals suffering from chewing and swallowing difficulties. This invention further relates to the processed, formed food products that result from such methods of food product preparation.
A significant portion of the adult population is unable to consume food in its conventional form because of an illness or an infirmity which lessens the individual""s ability to chew or swallow conventionally prepared solid food. This population segment includes individuals suffering from dental or muscular dysfunctions, paralysis, neurodegenerative and musculodegenerative disorders, stroke, and general geriatric infirmity. Presently such individuals are forced to resort to prepackaged by food, blender-pureed food or other mechanically altered food in order to obtain basic nutritional sustenance.
Currently, individuals requiring mechanically-modified food are served conventional solid foods which have been pureed in a food processor or other kitchen device in order to reduce the particulate size of the food. More specifically, the predominant method of food preparation involves first, mashing or processing a conventional food using a food processor or other similar, particle-reducing device. In some cases the pureed matter is then mixed with lubricating or thickening agents which prevent aspiration upon ingestion. The resulting food product is an unattractive, unappetizing mass of food which retains little of its original flavor or texture and none of its original appearance. Because of the inherent unpalatability of food prepared in this manner, it is often consumed in lesser quantities than conventional solid food is, and, consequently, individuals unable to consume conventional solid food suffer from nutritional deficiencies and thus do not receive the nutritional sustenance necessary to promote healing or well-being. This is particularly problematic as many of these individuals have compromised health to begin with.
Restriction to such unappetizing, mechanically-modified food may have negative psychological effects as well. Most individuals unable to consume conventional solid foods are ill, convalescing, elderly or otherwise precluded from participation in ordinary daily activities. Mealtimes can provide a bit of entertainment and structure to otherwise dreary and uneventful days. The prospect of sitting down to a shapeless mass of tasteless, colorless, pureed food or pre-packaged baby food is disheartening, takes away an adult""s self-respect, and can often exacerbate the feelings of depression and isolation already experienced by some ill or elderly individuals.
It would be highly desirable to develop a processed food product that retains the aesthetic and organoleptic characteristics, as well as the nutritional value, of the conventional solid food product from which it was derived, but which also possesses a viscosity and a particulate size suitable for consumption by individuals suffering from chewing and swallowing difficulties. It would also be desirable to develop a method by which such products could be manufactured. The invention of this application achieves these objectives by defining a method of processing and forming conventional solid food which utilizes a combination of processes for particle size reduction and pressure formation, and by disclosing the food products obtained therefrom.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,322,705, Heeps, issued Jun. 21, 1994, describes sliced loaf-type food products made from pureed food material. These products are different from those of the present invention in that they require high levels of a specific mix of starches to act as binders, are not heated during binder/lubricant addition, and are limited to products derived from cylindrical loaves (e.g. slices of chicken or hot dogs).
The present invention is a method of processing conventional solid food into formed, processed food products possessing small particulate size and low product viscosity in order to facilitate nutritional intake by individuals with chewing and swallowing difficulties. One aspect of this invention is a method of preparing formed food puree products comprising the steps of: (1) obtaining a food material, (2) comminuting said food material by, for example, use of a silent cutter, (3) adding from about 0.2% to about 4% of a lubricant to said comminuted food material, (4) adding flavorings, seasonings, nutritional supplements or other additives to said food material, if desired, (5) transferring said food material to a mold or form (preferably in the shape of the original food material before comminution), and (6) freezing or high-pressure pasteurizing said formed food material. Steps 3 and 4 are preferably accomplished while the food product is maintained at a temperature of at least about 71xc2x0 C. or after such a heating has taken place.
The present invention also relates to the food products made by this process.
The present invention relates, to a method of preparing processed, formed food products suitable for consumption by individuals suffering from chewing and swallowing difficulties, and to the formed food products resulting from use of this method.
The first step of the disclosed method requires the obtaining of a conventional solid food material. The food material used can be any type of conventional foodstuff including, but not limited to, poultry, beef, pork, seafood, tofu, fruits, vegetables, potatoes, eggs, pastries, or pastas. The food material utilized may be cooked, raw, frozen, fresh, canned or preserved in some other manner.
The selected food material is then comminuted by any suitable means known in the art, including, but not limited to, grinding, bowl chopping, horizontal cutting, comitroling or emulsifying until the particulate size of the food product is reduced to a size such that ingestion without mastication is possible. Comminution can be achieved using any implements known in the art, including, but not limited to, a silent cutter, a food processor, a dicer, a comitrol, an extruder, an emulsifier, or a blender. It is preferred that the comminuted food material have a particle size of from about 0.005 to about 0.05 inches (most preferably from about 0.02 to about 0.03 inches). The selected food product may be marinated and vacuum tumbled to incorporate spices and flavoring prior to comminution. The comminuted food material is transferred to a convected oven, thermal screw, heat exchanger, bakery oven, or impingement oven for pathogen destruction, gelling, carmelization, protein denaturization, moisture removal or proofing. A temperature of at least about 71xc2x0 C. is attained.
Following thermal processing, the food materials may be maintained at this high temperature, or it may be chilled to approximately 5xc2x0 C. and placed in a bowl chopper with a gel that serves as a lubricant or thickener in an amount that will result in the food material having a viscosity suitable for easy swallowing, but which is not so viscous as to cause aspiration of the food material upon ingestion.
The amount of lubricant or thickener necessary to achieve this balance will vary depending on the identity of the particular lubricant/thickener used and the moisture content of the original food material, i.e., the higher the water content of the material, the lower the amount of the lubricant required. For example, a mixture containing comminuted strawberries will require less lubricant or thickener than a mixture of comminuted poultry. The amount of lubricant necessary will usually be from about 0.2% to about 4% by weight (on a dry weight basis) of the comminuted food material.
Substances which can be used as lubricant or thickener include, but are not limited to, yam flour, rice flour, Konjac flour, wheat flour, tapioca, corn starch, pectins, soy flour, natural gums, gelatins, cellulose, inulin, oat fiber, whey, and potato starch, or a mixture of those materials. Yam flour, rice flour, Konjac flour, tapioca, corn starch, potato starch, natural gums, and mixtures thereof are preferred These materials may be introduced into the food mixture in the form of an aqueous gel, with Konjac flour being a particularly preferred lubricant/thickener.
Seasonings, flavorings and nutritional supplements may be added to the mixture, generally before thermal processing. Seasonings may include any herbs or spices commonly known in the art, including salt and pepper. Flavorings may be naturally or artificially derived. Nutritional supplements of synthetic or natural origin may be added to enhance the existing nutritional value of the food product. If the food product is targeted to individuals suffering from a particular disease or illness, e.g., diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome, Alzheimers Disease, osteo-arthritis, or oncological cardiovascular conditions, a specific nutritional supplement which confers a recognized nutritional advantage to those suffering from the relevant illness may be added.
The comminuted food mixture is then deposited in an individual mold or form which serves to sculpt it into a desired shape. The mold may be any shape, although use of a mold representing the exact shape and detail of the original conventional solid food material is preferred. For example, a comminuted food mixture that was derived from corn is placed in a mold which forms it into a shape representing a longitudinally bisected piece of corn on the cob, a mixture derived from comminuted beef can be molded into the form of a steak, and a mixture derived from chicken can be molded into the form of a boneless chicken breast. The comminuted food mixture can be deposited in such molds or forms by any means. However, use of an eight-head filler has been found to be most efficient for this purpose.
The mixture must be evenly distributed and fairly well packed within the molds to ensure retention of shape upon removal. It has been found that this is best accomplished by subjecting the food materialxe2x80x94containing mold to high pressure, at least about 20 p.s.i.
The food material, remaining in the mold, is then either frozen or subjected to ultra-high pressure pasteurization to achieve shelf stability. If the material is frozen, either conventional or cryogenic freezing may be employed, generally to a temperature of from about xe2x88x9225xc2x0 C. to about xe2x88x9210xc2x0 C. If the material is rendered shelf stable, with a minimum shelf life at ambient temperature of one year, then it has been found that a two to ten minute exposure to ultra-high isostatic pressure in excess of one hundred thousand (100,000) p.s.i. is required.
To reconstitute the product for serving, it can be either brought to approximately 5.5xc2x0 C. by refrigerated equilibration or heated to a temperature suitable for consumption by any means known in the art including but not limited to, microwave oven, convection oven, steam oven, infrared, pulsed light and conduction.
The present invention is also directed to processed, formed puree products having a viscosity and particulate size such that they are suitable for consumption by individuals suffering from chewing or swallowing difficulties, made by the process described above.